All that said, the book has its strengths. It’s smoothly written. It worked for me as a suspense novel – as the story went on, I did become quite invested in the resolution of the mystery. I wanted to know what happened to Megan and why.

What’s unexpected about its impact is that the novel does not regard Europeans’ wartime experience in a new way. Instead, Mr. Doerr’s nuanced approach concentrates on the choices his characters make and on the souls that have been lost, both living and dead.

This is a gripping story. With twists, turns, and lots of action, it kept me on the edge of my seat...This is not a book for everyone. It does not flinch. There are parts which are unsettling and uncomfortable. I realize the comparisons to Battle Royale are unavoidable but I think this is a book all on its own.

The joy and wonder of teenage love is cut with the awkwardness and fumbling that goes along with it. The vicious cruelty and bullying teens can show at the least sign of not fitting in is hard to read about...I think the way is cleared for a future for them and that their chance at it is a good one.

Minor gripes aside, this is a first-rate book—based on an impressive mass of research, written in a lively style and providing just the right balance of intellectual seriousness with practical advice on how to break our bad habits.

The epistolatory form and Juliet's numerous correspondents make for a jolting narrative at times. This, though, is easily forgiven...when you discover that former librarian Mary Ann Shaffer struggled for 30 years to turn her fascination for Guernsey into fiction and died before the final edit, leaving her niece to complete the book.

It is brilliant, so vivid and exciting that the reader can almost hear the music composed for the opera. It is a tour de force and the most moving part of “Fates and Furies.” We care about Go, who “has become the spirit of humanity.”

The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, the wonderful, thoughtful and touching new novel from Los Angeles writer Gabrielle Zevin, is not, however, about the darkness of Fikry’s existence. Rather, it’s about the power of life to surprise,...is a book for people who love books, who recognize a story well-told for what it is, and for the power it contains.

That he has written something as convincing as “City on Fire” is to be applauded. Some might quibble with the fact that he never seems quite ready to let go of his characters. Like a protective parent, he is rather too eager to solve every last mystery, tie up every loose end.

...this is a magnificent creation, a book that doubles as a time machine, flinging us back not only to postwar London, but also to our own lost love affairs, the kind that left us breathless — and far too besotted to notice that we had somehow misplaced our moral compass.

I thought this book had a very original plot and I was intrigued at the way the society was structured. The characters were completely believable in their battles to face their fears and as soon as I had finished the book I couldn’t wait to pick up book 2...

It is not a light-hearted read, for sure. There's a very high body count, and some brutal torture scenes. But for me all of that was outweighed by the epic-style adventure and truly satisfying romance that made the novel a "Dove Bar" experience.

This is the strength of Chbosky’s writing. He crafts Charlie’s voice in a way that defies context. Charlie is inside every lonely teenager and every adult remembers him fondly. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a gift...

Sarah Gruen sets her story among the freaks and geeks and captive animals of a traveling circus during the Great Depression...It's the set-up of a terrific secret that Gruen...saves for the grand finale. She ratchets up the tension bit by tiny bit, luring us into the weird world of the roustabout and the candy butcher...